CASE Names 2010 Independent Schools Award Winners

NEW YORK-The Council for Advancement and Support of Education has announced the recipients of its 2010 Independent Schools Awards. The four individuals and one foundation were selected for their commitment and service to primary and secondary independent school education.

They will be honored during an awards presentation Jan. 25 at the 40th annual CASE-NAIS Independent Schools Conference, which takes place Jan. 24-26 in New York City.

The four award winners are:

Carrie Levenson-Wahl, director of external affairs, at the International School of Paris. Levenson-Wahl is the recipient of this year's Robert Bell Crow Memorial Award, which recognizes advancement professionals for dedication to the profession, their institutions and CASE. For 26 years, she has played a key role in independent school advancement both in the United States and Europe. Noted accomplishments include her ground-breaking success in establishing a thriving development program at the International School of Paris and tireless commitment to nurturing a culture of giving among European independent schools. She has served with distinction as a member of the CASE Europe Board of Trustees, as an expert speaker at numerous conferences and as author of articles on independent school advancement.

Jane Batten and Frank Batten, trustee emeritus of Culver Academies in Culver, Ind. Jane and the late Frank Batten are the 2010 recipients of the Seymour Preston Award, which honors trustees for providing exceptional leadership to an institution. Batten, a former newspaper publisher and founder of the Weather Channel, became a trustee of Culver in 1985 and continued to serve as trustee and then trustee emeritus for the next 24 years. The Battens have made a number of gifts to the school, most notably in 2009, when they made a $20 million gift to support faculty salaries and a $50 million matching gifts program. When the school realizes the full benefits of the matching gifts program, the Battens will have contributed more than $100 million to Culver.

Dorothy Elkins, alumni relations research assistant and secretary to the board of the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn. Elkins is the recipient of this year's Support Staff Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes exceptional commitment to a school by a member of the support staff. Elkins has been a member of the Webb School staff for 52 years. During this time, she has served as secretary for six heads of school and secretary of the board. She currently works in the school's alumni office, where she is responsible for researching lost alumni, handling various alumni requests and overseeing personal touches, such as birthday and condolence cards. She is seen as an invaluable resource in the alumni office for her historic perspective, record keeping and sense of continuity.

Malone Family Foundation of Englewood, Colo. The Malone Foundation is the recipient of the 2010 John R. Chandler Award, which recognizes the long-term support of a corporation or foundation to independent schools. Through its Malone Scholars Program, the Malone Foundation has donated $56 million to 27 independent schools nationwide since 2000. Each year, the foundation provides three independent secondary schools with $2 million each in scholarship endowments. In addition to the gifts, the foundation maintains a relationship with the schools, working to improve the program and encouraging schools to share advice, success stories and meet annually. The program is lauded by many for its national breadth and focus on helping high-achieving, motivated students receive a quality education.

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.

CASE was founded in 1974 and maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in London (CASE Europe, 1994), Singapore (CASE Asia-Pacific, 2007) and Mexico City (CASE América Latina, 2011).

Today, CASE’s membership includes more than 3,600 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in nearly 77 countries around the globe. This makes CASE one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations in terms of institutional membership. CASE serves nearly 78,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions and has more than 16,000 professional members on its roster.

To fulfill their missions and to meet both individual and societal needs, colleges, universities and independent schools rely on—and therefore must foster—the good will, active involvement, informed advocacy and enduring support of alumni, donors, prospective students, parents, government officials, community leaders, corporate executives, foundation officers and other external constituencies.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with all of these constituencies by providing relevant research, supporting growth in the profession and fostering support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern while promoting the importance of education worldwide.

About NAISThe National Association of Independent Schools represents about 1,300 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad. NAIS's mission is to serve and strengthen member schools and associations by articulating and promoting high standards of educational quality and ethical behavior; to work to preserve their independence to serve the democratic society from which that independence derives; and to advocate broad access for students by affirming the principles of diversity, choice, and opportunity.